The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Vatican
City, 2 July 2013 (VIS) – The programme of Pope Francis' trip to
Lampedusa on Monday 8 July was announced today.

The
Holy Father will depart from Rome's Ciampino military airport at 8.00
a.m., landing at Lampedusa airport at 9.15 a.m., where he will be
welcomed by Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento and
Giuseppina Nicolini, mayor of Lampedusa. The Holy Father will then go
on by car to Cala Pisana, where he will board a boat in order to
reach Lampedusa by sea. He will be accompanied by fishermen in their
boats, and will commit a wreath to the sea in memory of those who
lost their lives in the shipwreck. He will arrive at the port of
Punta Favarolo at 9.30 a.m., where he will greet the groups of
immigrants awaiting him at the dock.

He
will then go on to the “Arena” sports camp in the Salina quarter,
where he will celebrate Mass at 10.00 a.m. At 11.30 a.m., following
the celebration of the Eucharist, the Pope will continue by car to
the parish of San Gerlando, where he will make a brief stop. He will
leave the parish at 12.30 p.m. and will be transported to Lampedusa
airport by car. At 12.45 p.m. the papal aeroplane will depart from
Rome, where it is expected to land at Ciampino airport at 1.45 p.m. The
Holy Father will return immediately to Vatican City.

Vatican
City, 2 July 2013 (VIS) – A communique was issued in English by the
Holy See Press Office late yesterday afternoon, the full text of
which is given below:

“IOR-Director
Comm. Paolo Cipriani and Deputy Director Dott. Massimo Tulli have
offered their resignations from their current positions. After many
years of service both have decided that this decision would be in the
best interest of the Institute and the Holy See. The Oversight
Council and the Commission of Cardinals have accepted their
resignations and asked President Ernst von Freyberg to assume the
functions of the General Director ad interim with immediate effect.
The Vatican regulator AIF has been informed accordingly. The Special
Commission appointed on June 26 2013 has acknowledged the decision.

“Ernst
von Freyberg will be supported by Rolando Marranci as acting Deputy
Director and Antonio Montaresi in the newly created position as
acting Chief Risk Officer with the remit of overseeing compliance and
special projects. Previously Rolando Marranci served as Chief
Operating Officer at a leading Italian bank in London. Antonio
Montaresi has served as Chief Risk and Chief Compliance Officer with
various banks in the US.

“'In
the name of the Oversight Council I thank Mr. Cipriani and Mr. Tulli
for their personal dedication over the past years,' said President
Ernst von Freyberg. 'I welcome Rolando Marranci and Antonio Montaresi
as outstanding professionals,' he said. 'Since 2010 the IOR and its
management have been working hard to bring structures and processes
in line with international standards for anti-money laundering. While
we are grateful for what has been achieved, it is clear today that we
need new leadership to increase the pace of this transformation
process. Our progress is in no small measure due to the continued
support from the governing bodies of the Institute and its
personnel.'

“The
Oversight Council has also initiated a selection process with the aim
of appointing a new General Director and Deputy Director in the near
future.

“Elizabeth
McCaul, Partner-in-charge of the New York Office and Chief Executive
Officer of Promontory Europe and Raffaele Cosimo, Chief Operating
Officer of Promontory Europe were mandated this past May by the
President of the Oversight Council to strengthen the Institute’s
anti-money laundering program in seven work streams including
conducting a forensic review and screening its client relationships.
Mr von Freyberg has also asked Elizabeth McCaul and Raffaele Cosimo
to serve as Senior Advisors to support the management. Previously,
Ms. McCaul served as New York Superintendent of Banks and is
considered a leader in regulatory circles. Mr. Cosimo is an expert in
bank governance and operations.”

About
the IOR

“The
'Istituto per le Opere di Religione' (IOR) is an institute founded in
1942 by Papal Decree. The IOR’s purpose is to serve the Holy See
and in the Catholic Church throughout the world, as set out in its
Statutes. The IOR safeguards the assets of a clearly defined group of
legal and natural persons that have an affiliation to the Catholic
Church defined by Canonical or Vatican Law. A Cardinals’
Commission, a Prelate, an Oversight Council and a Directorate
constitute the IOR’s corporate governance structure. The IOR, which
has 114 employees, is exclusively situated on the sovereign territory
of the Vatican City State.”

Vatican
City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) - Pope Francis' first encyclical, entitled
“Lumen Fidei”, will be published on Friday 5 July. The document,
described as “not very extensive” by the director of the Holy See
Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., will be presented at a
Press Conference by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the
Congregation for Bishops, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop
Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
New Evangelization.

Vatican
City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today
communicated that the Holy Father will visit the island of Lampedusa,
Sicily, on Monday 8 July. The communique states that the Pope,
“profoundly moved by the recent wreck involving a boat transporting
migrants from Africa, the latest in a series of similar tragedies,
intends to pray for those who have lost their lives at sea, to visit
the survivors and refugees, to give encouragement to the island's
inhabitants and to appeal to the responsibility of all to care for
these brothers and sisters in extreme need. Due to the specific
nature of the circumstances, the visit will be carried out as
discreetly as possible, also with regard to the presence of bishops
from the region and the civil authorities.

Vatican
City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) – According to a communique issued today by
the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the general audiences will be
suspended during the month of August and will recommence on Wednesday
4 September.

Throughout
the entire month of August, the Angelus Marian prayer will continue
in the Vatican, with the exception of Thursday 15 August, solemnity
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On that day, the Holy
Father will celebrate the Holy Mass in the parish of Castel Gandolfo
and will subsequently pray the Angelus from the apostolic palace of
his summer residence.

Vatican
City, 01 July 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press
Office a presentation was given for the “Great Event of the Year of
Faith, a Day for seminarians, novices, and all those who have taken
the path of vocation”. The participants were Archbishop Rino
Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New
Evangelization, Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, secretary of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, and Msgr Graham
Bell, under-secretary of the same Pontifical Council. The initiative
is entitled “I trust in you”, to indicate the act by which the
young may still find the strength and courage to consecrate
themselves to the Lord and to the priestly or consecrated life as a
sign of generosity to the Lord Who calls upon them to follow Him.

The
event will begin on 4 July with a pilgrimage to the tomb of St.
Peter. It will depart from the gardens of Castel Sant'Angelo and
continue along the entire length of Via della Conciliazione,
concluding at St. Peter's Basilica where Cardinal Angelo Comastri
will address those present.

The
following day, 5 July, will be dedicated to catechesis in various
languages, and will take place in designated churches throughout the
historic centre of the capital. The day will conclude at Piazza del
Campidoglio where there will be a celebration with various singers;
two seminarians and a young Italian nun will relate their own
experiences.

The
morning of Saturday 6 July will be dedicated to the celebration of
reconciliation and Eucharistic adoration. For the superiors
accompanying the young seminarians and religious there will be the
opportunity to reflect on matters of formation at the Lateran
University. In the afternoon, in the Paul VI Hall, Cardinal Mauro
Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, will offer some
thoughts prior to an encounter with Pope Francis, who will offer
privileged testimony of his own vocation. Musical accompaniment will
be provided by the Irish group “The Priests” and by the nun
Glenda. Finally, there will be a Marian procession in the Vatican
Gardens, concluding at St. Peter's Basilica with a final address from
Cardinal J. Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life.

On
the morning of Sunday 7 July, the Pope will celebrate Mass in St.
Peter's Basilica followed by the Angelus.

It
is hoped that some six thousand young people from 66 different
countries will participate in the initiative; representatives,
according to Archbishop Fisichella, of the “thousands and thousands
of other young people who will be spiritually united with them in
bearing witness to their vocation”.

Vatican
City, 30 June 2013 (VIS) – Jesus' steadfast decision to set out on
the path to Jerusalem, his final destination and the place where He
fulfilled His mission of salvation, and His freedom of conscience
were the themes of the Pope's final Angelus in the month of June,
prayed with tens of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's
Square.

“From
that time forth after His steadfast decision, Jesus aims straight for
the finish line, and even to the people he meets and who ask to
follow Him, He clearly states the conditions: not having a permanent
abode; knowing how to detach oneself from familiar affections; not
succumbing to nostalgia for the past. But Jesus also said to his
disciples, charged with preceding Him on the way to Jerusalem to
announce His coming, not to impose anything: if they do not find
willing welcome, they are simply to continue, to move on. Jesus never
imposes” Pope Francis emphasized. “Jesus is humble. Jesus extends
invitations: 'If you want, come'. The humility of Jesus is like this:
He always invites us. He does not impose”.

“All
this makes us think … of the importance, even for Jesus, of
conscience: listening in his heart to the Father's voice, and
following it. Jesus, in his earthly life, was not, so to speak,
'remote-controlled': He was the Word made flesh, the Son of God made
man, and at one point he made a firm decision to go up to Jerusalem
for the last time - a decision taken in His conscience, but not on
His own: ​​with the Father, in full union with Him! ... For this
reason, then, the decision was steadfast: because it was taken
together with the Father. In the Father, then, Jesus found the
strength and the light for His journey. Jesus was free. His decision
was a free one. Jesus wants us Christians to be free as he is: with
that liberty, which comes from this dialogue with the Father ...
Jesus wants neither selfish Christians, who follow their egos and do
not speak with God, nor weak Christians, without will:
'remote-controlled' Christians, incapable of creativity, who seek
always to connect with the will of another ... Jesus wants us free,
and this freedom – where is it found? It is to be found in the
inner dialogue with God in conscience. If a Christian … does not
know how to listen to God, in his own conscience, then he is not free
– he is not free”.

“So
we also must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful,
however: this does not mean we ought to follow our ego, do whatever
interests us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us. That is not
conscience. Conscience is the interior space in which we can listen
to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God. It is the inner
place of our relationship with Him, who speaks to our heart and helps
us to discern, to understand the path we ought to take, and once the
decision is made, to move forward, to remain faithful”.

Pope
Francis highlighted a wonderful example of how this relationship with
God in one's own conscience may be: Pope Benedict XVI, “when the
Lord showed him in prayer the step he had to take, followed his
conscience with a great sense of discernment and courage; that is, he
followed the will of God that spoke to his heart”. This example “is
of benefit to all of us, as an example to follow”.

“May
Mary help us to become more and more men and women of conscience,
free in our conscience … able to hear the voice of God and follow
it with decision” concluded the Pope.

After
the Angelus, the Holy Father remarked that today in Italy we
celebrate the Day of charity of the Pope, and he thanked the bishops
and all the parishes, especially the poorest, for the prayers and
offerings that support the many pastoral initiatives and charitable
activities of the Successor of Peter in every part of the world.

Vatican
City, 30 June 2013 (VIS) – The Pope has written a message to the
participants in the Sixth Youth Day, to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania
from 28 to 30 June.

The
Pope writes, “Jesus wants to be your friend, … a master of truth
and life who will show you the path to happiness, to your
self-realization according to God's plan for each of you. And this,
Jesus' friendship, which brings us mercy and the love of God, is
'free', a pure gift. He asks nothing of you in return, He asks only
that you welcome Him. Jesus wishes to love you for what you are, even
in your fragility and weakness as, touched by His love, you may be
renewed”.

“The
encounter with God's love in the friendship of Christ is possible
first and foremost through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist
and the Reconciliation. … Jesus always forgives us. Another
privileged way to grow in Christ's friendship is to listen to His
word. The Lord speaks to us … through the Sacred Scriptures, He
speaks to us through prayer. … And here I would like to emphasize
the beauty of simple contemplative prayer, accessible to all, old and
young, the cultured and the simple; it is the prayer of the Sacred
Rosary. … Indeed, in the Rosary, repeating Hail Mary, we meditate
upon the Mysteries, the events in the life of Christ, in order to
know him and love him more”.

“Christ's
love is not an illusion … neither is it reserved to the few. … Do
not be afraid to live in faith! Be witnesses to Christ in your daily
lives, with simplicity and courage. To those you meet, to your peers,
show above all the face of the mercy and love of God, Who always
forgives, encourages and gives hope. Always show care for others,
especially to the poorest and weakest, thereby living in fraternal
love, against all forms of egotism and narrow-mindedness”.

Vatican
City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) - This morning, on the solemnity of the
apostles Peter and Paul, Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Mass in St.
Peter's Basilica, during which the Pallium, a symbol of the bond of
unity with the See of Peter, was imposed upon thirty-four new
metropolitan archbishops.

The
Holy Father concelebrated the Eucharist with the new archbishops. As
is traditional on the feast of the patrons of Rome, the Pope received
in audience a delegation from the ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople, sent on behalf of ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios
I and led by the metropolitan of Pergamo Ioannis (Zizioulas),
co-president of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between
the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

In
his homily, Pope Francis spoke of the meaning of the verb “to
confirm” in the context of the Petrine ministry, in response to the
question, “What has the Bishop of Rome been called to confirm?”.

“First,
to confirm in faith”, he said. “The Gospel speaks of the
confession of Peter: 'You are Christ, the Son of the living God', a
confession which does not come from him but from our Father in
heaven. Because of this confession, Jesus replies: 'You are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my Church'. The role, the ecclesial
service of Peter, is founded upon his confession of faith in Jesus,
the Son of the living God, made possible by a grace granted from on
high. In the second part of today’s Gospel we see the peril of
thinking in worldly terms. When Jesus speaks of his death and
resurrection, of the path of God which does not correspond to the
human path of power, flesh and blood re-emerge in Peter: 'He took
Jesus aside and began to rebuke him ... This must never happen to
you'. Jesus’ response is harsh: 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a
hindrance to me'. Whenever we let our thoughts, our feelings or the
logic of human power prevail, and we do not let ourselves be taught
and guided by faith, by God, we become stumbling blocks. Faith in
Christ is the light of our life as Christians and as ministers in the
Church!”

“To
confirm in love” is the second answer. “In the second reading we
heard the moving words of Saint Paul: I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith'”, continued the Holy
Father. “But what is this fight? It is not one of those fights
fought with human weapons which sadly continue to cause bloodshed
throughout the world; rather, it is the fight of martyrdom. Saint
Paul has but one weapon: the message of Christ and the gift of his
entire life for Christ and for others. It is precisely this readiness
to lay himself open, personally, to be consumed for the sake of the
Gospel, to make himself all things to all people, unstintingly, that
gives him credibility and builds up the Church. The Bishop of Rome is
called himself to live and to confirm his brothers and sisters in
this love for Christ and for all others, without distinction, limits
or barriers. And not only the Bishop of Rome: each of you, new
archbishops and bishops, have the same task: to let yourselves be
consumed by the Gospel, to become all things to everyone. It is your
task to hold nothing back, to go outside of yourselves in the service
of the faithful and holy people of God”.

Finally,
the Pope continued, “To confirm in unity. Here I would like to
reflect for a moment on the rite which we have carried out. The
pallium is a symbol of communion with the Successor of Peter, 'the
lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity both of faith
and of communion'. And your presence today, dear brothers, is the
sign that the Church’s communion does not mean uniformity. The
Second Vatican Council, in speaking of the hierarchical structure of
the Church, states that the Lord 'established the apostles as college
or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen
from their number'. To confirm in unity: the Synod of Bishops, in
harmony with the primate. Let us go forward on the path of
synodality, and grow in harmony with the service of the primacy. And
the Council continues, 'this college, in so far as it is composed of
many members, is the expression of the variety and universality of
the people of God'. In the Church, variety, which is itself a great
treasure, is always grounded in the harmony of unity, like a great
mosaic in which every small piece joins with others as part of God’s
one great plan. This should inspire us to work always to overcome
every conflict which wounds the body of the Church. United in our
differences: there is no other Catholic way to be united. This is the
Catholic spirit, the Christian spirit: to be united in our
differences. This is the way of Jesus! The pallium, while being a
sign of communion with the Bishop of Rome and with the universal
church, with the Synod of Bishops, also commits each of you to being
a servant of communion”.

“To
confess the Lord by letting oneself be taught by God; to be consumed
by love for Christ and his Gospel; to be servants of unity. These,
dear brother bishops, are the tasks which the holy apostles Peter and
Paul entrust to each of us, so that they can be lived by every
Christian”, the Holy Father concluded.

Vatican
City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) – Following the Holy Mass celebrated in
St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his
study to pray the Angelus on Sunday with the faithful gathered in St.
Peter’s Square, and recalled that the solemnity of Sts. Peter and
Paul was a special feast for the Church of Rome, founded on the
martyrdom of both apostles, and also for the Universal Church, “since
all the People of God owe to them the gift of faith”.

While
Peter “was the first to confess that Jesus is Christ, the Son of
God, Paul spread this news throughout the Greek-Roman world. And
Providence wished that both of them might reach Rome and there shed
blood for the faith. The Church of Rome therefore became,
spontaneously, the point of reference for all Churches around the
world. Not for the power of the Empire, but for the strength of
martyrdom and witness to Christ! In the end, it is always and only
the love of Christ that generates faith and sustains the Church along
her way”.

The
Holy Father remarked that when Peter confessed his faith in Jesus,
“he did not do so because of His human capacities, but rather
because he had been moved by the grace Jesus emanated, by the love he
felt in His words and saw in His gestures”. And the same happened
to Paul when, as a young man and enemy of Christians, he was called
upon by the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus and transformed by
his vision: “He understood that Jesus was not dead, but alive, and
loved even he who was His enemy. It was this experience of mercy, of
God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ: this is the Good News, the
Gospel the Peter and Paul experienced themselves and for which they
gave their lives. Mercy, forgiveness! The Lord always forgives, the
Lord has mercy, is merciful, has a merciful heart and awaits us
always … what joy it is to believe in a God Who is all love, all
grace! This is the faith that Peter and Paul received from Christ and
which they have transmitted to the Church”.

Pope
Francis also spoke of the apostle Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
who shared with him his experience of faith in Jesus, and who had
indeed encountered Him first. “I like to remember him also because
today, in accordance with a beautiful tradition, Rome receives the
delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, whose patron is
indeed the apostle Andrew”. The Pope went on to invite those
present to pray together a Hail Mary for Patriarch Bartholomaios I,
and to pray also for the metropolitan archbishops of the various
Churches who received the Pallium this morning.

After
the Marian prayer, the Pope greeted the pilgrims who had gathered to
celebrate with the metropolitan archbishops: “I pray for their
communities, and in particular I encourage the central African
people, sorely tested at this time, to continue on their path with
faith and hope”.

Vatican
City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) – A papal letter was published today,
written in Latin and dated 30 May, naming Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, as
the Holy Father's special envoy to the closing ceremony of the fourth
centenary of the arrival of the image of the Blessed Virgin at
Budslau, Belarus, scheduled for the 5 and 6 July 2013.

Also
named were the members of the mission who will accompany the
cardinal: Fr. Viktar Burlaka, O.F.M., of the parish of Assunta in
Budslau and custodian of the national Marian sanctuary of Budslau,
and Fr. Uladzislau Zavalniuk, of the parish of St. Simon and St.
Helen in Minsk.